Kali Arnis
Kali – The Filipino Cultural Art of Stick and Knife Fighting
Every culture throughout history has created some form of martial art so their people can defend themselves in a time of crisis. But the only true test of a martial art is actual combat.
Known as Kali in Europe and the United States, the knife and stick fighting based art is actually called Eskrima or Arnis by the Filipino people. It is said that the art was developed over centuries during many intertribal conflicts and wars with outside invaders.
Those who practice Kali claim that is more then just a cultural art and remains an effective form of self defense that can be taught to someone quickly. And while on paper Kali seems like it has a lot to offer, both its historical data and self defense methodology say otherwise.
Many Filipino martial artists cite the Battle of Mactan, which occurred on April 27, 1521 as proof that their system works in battle. Warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated a landing force of Spanish sailors and soldiers under the command of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan’s forces were armed with crossbows and muskets, but were heavily outnumbered by the natives. The overwhelming tribal warriors cut them down and the famous explorer was killed.
The major flaw with this isolated example is that it is the only successful battle of hundreds throughout the sad but true history of a conquered people. The Spanish Conquistadors went on to conquer all of the islands with ease and held them until the United States invaded in 1898.
The conquistadors were skilled warriors even without muskets and cannons, because they forged their skills on the battlefields of Europe for centuries fighting the also highly skilled Muslim invaders! Not a bunch of tribal natives. Spain’s fighting men conquered huge amounts of territory, and destroyed ancient empires with discipline, superior tactics, and hard training. The unfortunate tribal warriors of the Philippines (and their cultural fighting art of Kali) were no different than any other native conquest to the Conquistadors.
But historical insignificance is not the only chink in the Kali armor.
While it isn’t fair to discount Kali simply because its practitioners main focus is blades and sticks (they also do practice some grappling and empty hand techniques), but this kind of training is hampered in the real world.
It has not been socially acceptable to carry a sword in public in over 100 years and there are many restrictions on smaller bladed weapons. And although Kali stick fighting looks impressive to the untrained eye, I have yet to hear of one person beaten to death by a pair of Escrima sticks. All said and done, someone armed with an ordinary wooden baseball bat or axe handle, could undoubtedly finish off one of these so called “dangerous” stick fighters in a heartbeat.
Like any cultural fighting art, I don’t condemn anyone for spending their time practicing Kali because it seems like a decent physical conditioning method and a heck of a lot of fun. And while weapons training can be a great addition to your close combat toolbox, learning from these conquered people is not the answer as it is clearly not a legitimate method of self defense.
About the Author
For more information on Chris “Lt. X” Pizzo former soldier, cancer survivor, mercenary, barroom bouncer, educator, and hand-to-hand combat instructor, and his incredible FREE Accelerated Battlefield Combatives close-combat learning system, visit his martial arts and self defense website.
Abaniko 10 Count -Kali, Arnis, Doce Pares
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2 Escrima Sticks Kali Arnis Combat Fighting Burn Rattan $14.98 |
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KALI, ESCRIMA, ARNIS FILIPINO TRAINING SWORD (PINUTI) $49.00 |
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Bustillo IMB Kali Jeet Kune Do Academy #1 DVD Boxing Arnis Escrima Bruce Lee New $9.99 |
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Filipino Martial Arts Escrima Eskrima Arnis Kali JKD Knife Fighting DVD #4 New! $9.99 |
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ARNIS: The Figure 8 System By Neofito Santos kali escrima silat jeet kune do jkd $14.95 |
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ARNIS: Filipino Art of Stick Fighting kali escrima silat jeet kune do jkd knife $14.95 |
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6 Filipino Escrima Kali Arnis Martial Art Karate Tiger Rattan Fighting Sticks FS $35.00 |
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1″ CARVED FIRE HARDENED RATTAN ESCRIMA FIGHTING STICKS MARTIAL ARTS KALI/ARNIS/ $35.00 |
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10 Kukri Practice Training Sword Trainer Knife Lot Gurkha Kukri Kali Black Arnis $139.95 |
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Filipino Kali Arnis Escrima Eskrima Practice Metal 26″ Kris Training Sword RARE! $45.00 |
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Espada Y Daga Eskrima Kali Arnis … |
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Combining Stick and Footwork, Escrima Kali Arnis [VHS] $24.95 … |
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The Grandfathers Speak, Philipino Escrima Arnis Kali [VHS] $24.95 … |
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Ted Lucaylucay Kali JKD DVD #4 $20.00 #JKDL04. Volume Four in a four DVD set. Featuring the late master, Ted Lucaylucay demonstrating his blend of Filipino Kali and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. Disk Four covers Basic Knive Positions. Offensive/Defensive Training. Disarms & Takedowns. 12 Angles of Knife Attacks. This is a classic martial arts instructional series that was made several years ago. Excellent information. Approx. 1 hour. DVD… |
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Ted Lucaylucay Kali JKD DVD #1 $20.00 #JKDL01. Volume One in a four DVD set. Featuring the late master, Ted Lucaylucay demonstrating his blend of Filipino Kali and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. Disk One covers Weapon Exercise Position. Angulation Theory. Parry & Safety Factors. Angles of Attack. Mobility. Static & Free-Flow Techniques. This is a classic martial arts instructional series that was made several years ago. Excellent informati… |
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Eskrimadors $25.00 A documentary celebration of the Filipino Martial Art of Eskrima / Kali / Arnis. Shot entirely in the island of Cebu, the cradle of this fighting art.The film traces the development of Eskrima from its origins in tribal warfare, as an art of duelists, and its transformation into a sport practiced in over 30 countries. Eskimradors is Filipino Martial Arts as you’ve never seen before.The film feat… |
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Doce Pares Escrima Complete Set by Alfredo Bandalan There is no question that the art of Doce Pares Escrima developed by the Canete Family from Cebu City is one of the most popular sports and styles of martial arts, due to its effectiveness in real combat. A direct student of Cacoy and Diony Canete, Master Bandalan has spent decades studying and analyzing the different components of this revolutionary system. In this three-volume DVD series, he rev… |
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Sayoc Kali Karambit Knife Fighting # Tom Kier demonstrates the use of the karambit as an instrument of control. # Ray Dionaldo explains: * Types of karambits # Ken Pannell shows the karambit from an Indonesian martial arts point of view. |
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Practice Training Swords Scimitar Pair Arnis Kali Escrima & Instruction DVD Video $55.95 The Black Ops Kalaj Kutter Scimitar Swords are great tools for the beginner, intermidiate, or advanced practitioner of defense (/offense) Double Sword training. These swords are hand crafted from a solid piece of High Density Poly, a high impact strength and high density polyethylene wich has excellent tensile, energy aborption, abrasion resistance, water/ salt resistant, and resistance to stress … |
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Kerambit Knife Karambit Trainer Pentjak Silat Arnis Kali Karate Training Knives $11.95 The Black Ops Kalaj Kutter Karambit is a great tool for the beginner, intermidiate, or advanced practitioner of Kali defense (/offense) training. These Karambits are hand crafted from a solid piece of High Density Poly, a high impact strength and high density polyethylene wich has excellent tensile, energy aborption, abrasion resistance, water/ salt resistant, and resistance to stress crackes,… |